Springtime Flowers in Okinawa

Recently cherry blossoms and orchids have been the topic of conversation but Okinawa has a lot of beautiful flowers blooming during the spring time. Unfortunately springtime flowers here in Okinawa don't get their own festivals, aside from the cherry blossoms and orchids that is, so I thought that I would take a moment and share with you some of the flowers that I found today while enjoying some time in the sunshine.



This is by far the best flower that I saw today and one of my favorite flours that I have ever seen around in Okinawa. (Sorry red powder puff you're now number 2.) This pink flower almost looks like a lily and shares it's characteristics as well. The color is bright pink, so pink in fact that the image I am posting doesn't do it any justice. What really caught my eye, however, was the pattern on the inside of the flower. It almost looks like leopard spots.



This little yellow flower doesn't get the attention that it deserves. They are very small and no you're not going to get a vase full of them on Valentine's Day. In fact you might classify them more as weeds then flowers but for me they are a cheery reminder of spring. My favorite time to see these flowers is when they are growing along a coral wall.



Here's another one that I very much enjoy. These little white flowers grow in bunches. They are white and simple but very beautiful.



These are common flowers here on Okinawa. We saw these today while walking around a stone path. The small bunches of purple flowers added a splash of color to the dull path.

Now I know what you are thinking and no these flowers might not seem like much. However, they are one of the many things that puts a smile on my face and many people just walk by them every day without a thought. Next time you're out take a moment to look all around even at the little things. You might be surprised by what you see.

 

 

APOC11 and the Okinawa International Orchid Show 2013 [Video]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02E0ob5y3Ek

This year we attended the Okinawa International Orchid Show 2013 located at the Tropical Dream Center in Okinawa, Japan. The event took place at the Ocean Expo Park near the beautiful Churaumi Aquarium and will run from now until February 11th.

Hundreds of orchids are on display and one new species is even making it's debut. Please check out the video and let us know what you think.

APOC11 and the Okinawa International Orchid Show 2013

 

APOC11 (11th Asian Pacific Orchid Conference) and the 23rd Okinawa International Orchid Show is a yearly event that happens in February at the Ocean Expo Park located in Motobu. This is the largest orchid show in the country and a favorite among the many people who love flowers here in Okinawa.

This year we went to the show for the first time. To be honest we would have never heard about it if we had not gone to take a quick look at what a local travel agent located near our grocery store had available for local tours. Of course being the frugal and adventurous people that we are we skipped the tour but took down all the other vital information. It was also going to be exciting because it was the first time for us to go to the Tropical Dream Center, a part of Ocean Expo Park, which we had never gone to before.

We arrived early and were able to park a short walk from the entrance. (NOTE: If you plan on attending this event you're going to benefit if you arrive early. There is minimal parking near the venue itself and by the time that we left there were a number of people having to walk a great deal.) The entrance had a number of vendors selling various orchid related goods. The prices were reasonable especially if you are looking for something that is of a different variety then you can find at a local store.

Once arriving on the inside of the venue (after purchasing our tickets which you can get at half price if you come with a same day stub from the aquarium) we were pleased to see that there were orchids everywhere. They were used to decorate the entire entrance and they would continue the theme throughout.



As we continued on the route we found ourselves in a room which was sectioned off with various contestants for separate categories. Each orchid had already been judged (this is a competition after all) and the ones which stood above the rest wore a ribbon. (or two, or three) There were so many that I honestly didn't know where to look. Row behind row of beautiful multicolored flowers of all shapes and sizes seemed to take over the entire area of the Tropical Dream Center. In fact to be completely honest I cannot imagine what would even be there if there were no orchids.



As we continued to walk through the venue there were places to sit down and rest, even a large court yard with dancers and more goods to include turkish ice cream. The turkish ice cream was apparently a big hit because there was not one person in the place that was not enjoying some.

Overall we had a great time and would certainly go back again. There are some things that you should know before you go. Head over to the event early and before the flowers wilt. I realize that this is a place where flowers are kept but with the temperatures changing and everything else that has been going on recently it's best to get there as soon as you can so that you don't find yourself missing out. Arrive early in the day to avoid too much congestion. If you really want to look at the flowers then getting up early and heading out that way is going to be beneficial. We arrived at about 8:30AM when the event opened and left around 12:30PM. As we were heading out the large crowds started to roll in so the timing was just right in my opinion. Keep the kiddles at home. I realize that there are a number of people out there who feel that every place on Okinawa is kid friendly but the fact of the matter is that there are some places where your child simply isn't going to benefit from the experience and overall as a parent you're going to have a stressful time. Although this event offers child pricing (which is part of the standard pricing for the venue) there is really nothing for kids to do during this event. After all it is a flower show and competition. It is important to note, however, that this place would be a great place to take the kids any other time of the year as there are activities that would be scheduled more during the summer months but none of these seemed to be available for the show. If you do plan on taking the kiddles because you know that they can handle or would enjoy this type of thing keep in mind that the venu is not necessarily stroller friendly. If your intention is to bring a small umbrella stroller you should be good but the new large double strollers are going to be a struggle to get through some areas where the orchids are being displayed. Also note that baby backpacks might not be a good idea either because of low hanging plants and low ceilings which will no doubt result in plant like in your baby's face (especially if mom or dad are tall).

Aside from those few things there is not much else to say about the event. There is a very English friendly staff for this event as it is International. There are also people from all over the world too. I would certainly check it out if you are interested in flowers or just looking for a nice place to spend the weekend.

[EVENT REMINDER - Feb 2 until 11]

Tomorrow marks the beginning APOC11 and Okinawa International Orchid Show. The event takes place at the Ocean Expo Park. This is sure to be a beautiful event and I imagine that we can expect some massive crowds. Either way if you're looking for something to do with your day from tomorrow until the 11th maybe you might want to check it out?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Yaedake Cherry Blossom Festival

 

 

There are many cherry blossom festivals, or Sakura Matsuri, which happen throughout Okinawa each year. This year we headed to some of the Sakura Matsuri that caught our eye and thought that we would tell you all about them.  After heading to the Nakijin 6th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival we found ourselves driving around the Motobu Peninsula for a while looking for somewhere to eat. We were not anticipating heading to Yaedake as we had been there for the first cherry blossoms of the season but we drove by the entrance of the mountain and figured that we might as well head up that was and see the blossoms. As soon as we turned onto the road we knew that we were in for a treat.



The Good

The festival takes place on the beautiful Yaedake. On any given day this location is beautiful enough but during late winter and early spring the mountain road is lined with beautiful cherry blossom trees. The festival grounds are located at the park on the mountain. The park is great especially for little ones with a large playground area to include a huge roller slide. During the festival, however, that playground is just the beginning of the excitement. A stage and large seating area was set with various entertainment and food booths lined the entire perimeter of the park.



 

For the past few events we have managed to miss the festivities so the smell of matsuri food and the sound of music immediately put a smile on our faces. The booths themselves featured not only the matsuri food that you know and love as well as some special treats for the seasons. A particular booth sold sakura mochi another features hashi made from the wood of cherry blossom trees. There were also soba shops and some fried beef booth which was to die for.



Aside from the standard booth for food and games there were also other activities such as a velcro wall, bouncy castle and even this large pool of water that had these floating hamster wheels in them for your water treading pleasure. If playing in the grass is more your thing then there was plenty of space for that too.

The Bad

To be completely honest there wasn't too much that I would call "bad".  We did notice, however that there were absolutely no trash cans or bags anywhere on the property. Of course not having trash cans is standard practice in Japan but it's not often that you will see a festival completely void of trash cans.

 

The Ugly

The ugly for this event is the apparently broken men's bathroom. Of course this was not an actual reflection on the actual event itself but it was the only thing that we experienced that day that we could call "ugly".



The Conclusion

Overall the event was everything that we were looking for in a cherry blossom festival. The music, the food and no shortage of cherry blossoms made for a great time. Driving up the beautiful winding mountain road with the blossoms on either side of you is just wonderful and then walking to the site itself amongst the blossoms was just wonderful. You could also enjoy a walk under the blossoms on the mountain road as well but we opted out because we arrived so late in the day. Overall this is our favorite cherry blossom festival to date.

[EVENT INFORMATION - February 2-11]

If you enjoy looking at beautiful flowers mark your calendar for APOC11 the 11th Asia Pacific Orchid Conference in OKINAWA & the 27th Okinawa International Orchid Show. 

This annual event takes place at the Ocean Expo Park and is the largest orchid show in the country. This is also a competition so be prepared for some amazing flowers and arrangements.

First Cherry Blossoms Bloom In Japan - Yaedake

Cherry blossoms are a sign of spring so you might imagine my surprise when I saw them blooming the other day as I came down a mountain road on Yaedake. Knowing that Yaedake is known for having the first cherry blossoms in all of Japan I could not resist so I pulled over and started snapping away.



Being that it is only late December this was a rare sight. The blossoms are not supposed to show themselves until at least mid January but here they were all around. It is said by the locals that when the cherry blossoms bloom that means we have seen our coldest day of the year. Being that it is so early in the winter I hope that this is not the case. I would like to enjoy a few more cool days before the summer returns.



If you would like to view cherry blossoms you can do so all over the island of Okinawa but remember there is no set time that they will bloom and there's no saying how long they will be around. Some say that is what is so special about cherry blossoms.